5-star QB Stockton commits to Bulldogs
♦ The junior had been committed to South Carolina before the firing of Will Muschamp.
Former South Carolina five-star quarterback commit Gunner Stockton announced Thursday via social media he is now committed to Georgia.
“As I watched Georgia play this year, I loved what I saw,” Stockton told 247Sports. “I love throwing the ball deep, and (offensive coordinator Todd) Monken is very good at setting that up for a quarterback. He’s a great teacher and I can’t wait to learn from him.”
Stockton, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds out of Rabun County High School in the northeast Georgia town of Tiger, is the top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the nation and 27th best overall prospect regardless of position for the class of 2022 in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
He decommitted from the Gamecocks on Jan. 12. He had initially narrowed his final two choices to USC and Georgia before picking the Gamecocks when now fired Will Muschamp was head coach and now departed Mike Bobo was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“The day after coach Muschamp was fired I called (Georgia coach Kirby) Smart and told him I was worried about what was going on at South Carolina,” Stockton told 247Sports. “I’m excited to compete for my home-state team. I just feel really good about the team, the staff, the school, everything. I already have relationships with lots of the current players. Plus, I couldn’t say no to coach Smart twice. At Georgia you always have a chance to win the SEC and be a national champion. That’s my dream.”
In his first three high school seasons Stockton has completed 642 of 942 passing (68 percent) for 9,518 yards and 122 touchdowns with 16 interceptions and has rushed 467 times for 3,416 yards and 62 touchdowns.
In last year’s junior season he completed 213 of 317 passing for 3,128 yards and 45 touchdowns with four interceptions and rushed 191 times for 1,581 yards and 26 touchdowns, reaching 100 yards in 10 of 14 games.
Stockton posted on Twitter of his Jan. 12 decision to withdraw his commitment to the Gamecocks, “Back in August I made the decision to commit to the university, program and staff. A lot has changed since that time and I feel that I should reevaluate my situation. I want to thank Connor Shaw for all of his love, support and understanding.”
Shaw is currently serving an off-the-field role for USC’S football program. His older brother, Jaybo Shaw, is Stockton’s high school coach. That connection plus a close relationship between the Stockton family and Bobo family created quite a draw to USC.
Stockton called Bobo, now Auburn’s offensive coordinator, to let him know he was choosing Georgia.
“Making the call to coach Mike was no fun,” Stockton said. “I have a very close relationship with not only him but his entire family. I love that family. Coach Mike is very respected and I hate it didn’t work out for me to be coached by him. We had grown very close, but I could not stop thinking about being a Bulldog.”
Stockton’s father, Rob Stockton, told Dawgnation.com, “The stress level at our house has been very high. We have the utmost respect for the entire Bobo family. The relationship that has grown over the past year with Mike and Gunner is a hard relationship to walk away from. Mike is the ultimate gentleman, competitor and person. Those pressures to say no and go in a different direction are not easy. Especially when it is more than just respect but love for a big group of people like family.”